Reconstructing Jarod
by Phenyx
Summary: Jarod has survived many sorrows within The Centre. Now he s back. This time Lyle has a new form of torture waiting for him. Sometimes survival hurts too much.


Disclaimer: The Characters Miss Parker, Sydney, Jarod, Broots and The Center are all property of MTM, TNT and NBC Productions and are used without permission. Don't think of it as copyright infringement. Consider this as an unpaid advertisement to increase interest in "The Pretender" while we wait for the series to come out on DVD and video. -  
  
Author's Note: Due to the extreme nature of the subject matter, the first chapter of this story will be the only one posted on Fanfiction.net. To read the rest of "Reconstructing Jarod" you'll need to check it out on my web site (FFN will not allow the link to post here so to get to the rest of this story, click on the author link above to see my profile. My homepage link is listed there.)  
  
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Reconstructing Jarod Part1 - Capture - By Phenyx 12/26/03  
  
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People were screaming.  
  
For a mere fraction of a second, the dark-haired, dark-eyed man hesitated. His tall, lean frame was already prepared for flight. In the large crowd milling about on the fairgrounds, he would have no trouble escaping the group of Centre operatives searching for him among the game booths and loud rides. If he chose, the pretender could easily vanish right now, without even laying eyes on the beautiful woman who pursued him. She and her brother were close, drawn to this place by carefully calculated clues left by the pretender, as was his habit.  
  
But fate was against Jarod today. Moments after the screeching sound of wrenching metal rang through the air, the randomly moving crowd of people morphed into a wave of panic. Glancing behind him, Jarod quickly spotted the object of distress. The Ferris wheel, brightly colored but obviously ancient, was tilting forward on its base like the crooked halo of some near- fallen angel.  
  
Jarod began to run toward the broken ride, fighting his way through the throngs that were fleeing from that point. Quickly assessing the situation as he approached, Jarod could see several riders still clinging to the individual cars on the Ferris wheel. The contraption was weaving awkwardly as it tilted even more, causing the trapped passengers to scream all the louder.  
  
As Jarod approached, he could see people clambering from the lower cars. One young man, roughly fifteen or sixteen years of age, leapt from about halfway up the wheel. The car rocked drunkenly as the boy left his perch, tossing him gracelessly into the air. The boy's arms flailed uselessly and he hit the ground with a sickeningly wet crunch as the back of his skull ruptured on impact.  
  
Chaos reigned all around him as Jarod reached the Ferris wheel. People were shouting and there were a couple of men valiantly trying to fling a rope to the top of the wheel. "That won't hold this thing upright for long," Jarod hollered at them.  
  
"The fire department is on the way," someone yelled back.  
  
Knowing that help would arrive too late, Jarod clambered up the twisted metal frame and began to climb toward the screams above him. Jarod reached the still swaying car that the now dead boy had jumped from just minutes ago. Peering over the edge, he found another boy cowering on the floor.  
  
Younger than the first by about four years, this youngster had his hands clamped tightly over his ears. "Tony, Tony, Tony," the boy whimpered over and over, tears streaming down his face.  
  
"Cover the boy," Jarod yelled down to the handful of people gathered below. Turning back to the weeping child, Jarod said, "Come here, I'll help you down."  
  
"No, no, Tony, no," the boy moaned.  
  
"Come here!" Jarod demanded firmly. "Get up slowly and give me your hand." Jarod's voice was strong and the boy followed the command automatically. Fearfully gripping Jarod's hand, the boy did as he was told. Jarod pulled the child to his chest in a bear-like hug and held him tightly for a moment.  
  
Glancing at the ground, Jarod was relieved to see that several jackets now hid the dead boy's body. "Hang on to me, sport. Hang on tight," Jarod said in a gentle tone. With the youngster clinging desperately with his arms around Jarod's neck and his thin legs around Jarod's waist, the pretender carefully eased his way back to the ground.  
  
As they reached the earth, Jarod peeled the boy away from his body and handed him to a nearby pair of arms. "Get him a safe distance away from here," Jarod ordered.  
  
Grabbing the metal structure once again, Jarod began to climb. "I'll come with you," a young blonde man called to him.  
  
"No," Jarod said. "Too much weight climbing the sides may pull this thing over." As if to emphasize his words, the Ferris wheel wavered and groaned again. The angle of the tilted frame increased as screams ripped through the air.  
  
"My wife and daughter are up there," the blonde yelled. "Please, find them. Please!"  
  
Jarod moved quickly. His past experiences in the search and rescue unit served him well. The adrenaline surging through his body helped Jarod to climb with strength and speed. Moving past the point where he'd found the boy, Jarod climbed higher. The next car was empty.  
  
Nearing the top of the Ferris wheel, Jarod reached a car containing a pretty young woman and her little girl. The woman was desperately trying to sooth the frightened child but her own fear was easily heard in her trembling voice. "Oh please, help us," the terrified mother whispered when she saw Jarod appear.  
  
Jarod clung to the side of the car, panting for a moment as he pondered the situation. The child was very small, no more than four years old. He didn't think the woman could safely climb down on her own either. She was too petite, five foot nothing, and the stretch between the metal spokes would be too far for her. The weakening frame shuddered once again, warning Jarod that time was of the essence.  
  
Looking toward the ground, Jarod could see that the crowd had given the weaving structure a wide berth. The Ferris wheel was going to fall and everyone knew it. A sea of wide-eyed faces gazed up at him. It took only a moment for Jarod to pick out one particular pair of lovely gray eyes. He saw her and knew that Parker had seen him locate her in the crowd. Their eyes met briefly. Unsure of what had passed between them with the glance, Jarod turned back to the woman and her child.  
  
"What is her name?" Jarod asked, tilting his head toward the little girl.  
  
"Melody," the woman answered.  
  
"Melody," Jarod said. "My name is Jarod. You and I are going to be good friends. Your daddy and I are best buddies."  
  
Mention of her father seemed to grab the child's attention. "Daddy?" she whimpered.  
  
"Yes," Jarod nodded. "Come with me, Melody. I will take you to your daddy."  
  
The youngster huddled more closely to her mother in terror. "Melody," the woman said tenderly. "You must go with Jarod. I'll see you in a few minutes."  
  
Holding out his hand expectantly, Jarod said, "Come on, sweetie. Your daddy is waiting."  
  
Gently pried away from her mother, the little girl was coaxed in Jarod's direction. Hugging the precious bundle to his chest, Jarod cast a quick look at the woman and said, "I'll be right back."  
  
"Don't worry about me," she said. "Save my baby."  
  
With a quick nod of understanding, Jarod eased his way back the way he had come. Climbing one handed, he held the child close with the other. When the metal groaned beneath Jarod's feet, the wheel tilted even further. For a harrowing moment, Jarod thought the entire contraption was finally collapsing. He held on as tightly as he could, curling his body around the child's in a desperate attempt to protect her.  
  
When the swaying stopped. Jarod glanced down to find that he was still ten or twelve feet from the ground. The blonde man was gazing up at him frantically.  
  
"Catch her," Jarod commanded. Grabbing the little girl by her upper arm, he pulled her away from his body and dangled her in the air. The child screamed, as did several of the onlookers. Jarod, firmly gripping the metal support with his opposite hand, stooped low to get the child as close to her father as he could. Then he released the girl, letting her fall through the air into the safety of the blonde man's embrace.  
  
"I've got her!" the man called, hugging the child tightly. But Jarod had already started back up the side of the wheel to retrieve the woman.  
  
Nearing the top, Jarod reached the side of the bright yellow car and looked in at the young woman. "Your turn," he gasped at her.  
  
"How?" she cried.  
  
"Piggy back," Jarod commanded. Ignoring the trembling muscles in his arms, Jarod reached toward the woman who was still huddled on the floor of the car.  
  
As the woman edged toward Jarod and stood, the Ferris wheel rocked grotesquely. The woman was thrown against Jarod's chest, nearly pushing him from his perch. Metal groaned loudly and although the pretender held on as tightly as he could, Jarod could feel himself falling backward.  
  
Hugging the useless metal, Jarod felt the twisted ride teeter beneath him and with a final crack, the Ferris wheel collapsed. A soft body brushed passed him but Jarod could only flinch as the woman fell. For a moment, Jarod felt as though he was floating as blue sky and fluffy white clouds flashed by.  
  
Air started to whistle in Jarod's ears as he plummeted to the ground with increasing speed, pushed faster and faster by the weight of the Ferris wheel. There was no time for regrets. No time for last wishes. There was only the strange sensation of the world tilting and the knowledge that he was about to be crushed by the world's most boring amusement park ride.  
  
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End part 1  
  
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Author's note: Aren't I a stinker? But I love a good cliffhanger. Needless to say, Jarod will survive the fall, only to wish later that he had not.  
  
This is the only part of "Reconstructing Jarod" that you will find on FFN. The rest of the story will not be posted here due to the ratings requirements of FFN. I highly caution readers who choose to read on. The subject matter and content are of an extremely adult matter and are not meant for the faint of heart.  
  
If you are interested and you are over 17, you can find the rest of this story, finished and in its entirety, at my web site. FFN will not allow the link to post here so to get to it, click on the author link above to see my profile. My homepage link is listed there. 


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